SEPI Sociedad Estatal de Participaciones Industriales

The Spanish state-owned news agency AGENCIA EFE and its CEO, Mr. José Antonio Vera, have won an award from the Eisenhower Foundation in Spain in recognition for its commitment with the defense and promotion of freedom of speech and of press.

The Spanish Association Eisenhower Fellows periodically awards the First Amendment Award, although this year it has opted to award five acknowledgements.

Besides of the AGENCIA EFE, awards have been bestowed on the journalist Mr. Fernando Ónega, on the Journalism School El País (in acknowledgement to academic initiative), on Ms. Ana Rosa Quintana (audiovisual journalism), and on Mr. Antonio Caño, director of El País (written press).

All of them have won this recognition as a result of their commitment with the defense and promotion of freedom of information, principles which were defended by US President Dwight D. Eisenhower and which from his Foundation in Spain seek to single out the democratic values and of free societies.

Prize award ceremony

The award of these prizes will take place next Thursday in a ceremony in Casa América which will be conducted by Mr. Javier Cremades, President of the Spanish Association of the Eisenhower Fellows, which is part of the Foundation which was set up in the US in the fifties with the goal of promoting and recognizing the work carried out by the US President in the defense and promotion of world peace.

At the award ceremony will also take part the President of the Eisenhower Foundation Fellowship, Mr. George De Lama.

The Spanish Association recognized the legate of the 34th US President through the establishment of this prize, which in the years 2013, 2014 and 2015 was awarded to Mr. Pedro J. Ramírez, Mr. Juan Luis Cebrián, and Ms. Gloria Lomana, respectively.

In 1791 the US Congress passed the first Amendment of the Bill of Rights of the US Constitution, which forbids the lawmaker from adopting any measure abridging the freedom of thought, within whose scope freedom of press is expressly recognized.

Photo: Façade of the main office of AGENCIA EFE on Avenida de Burgos, 8 in Madrid. EFE/Archivo

AGENCIA EFE and Grupo SEPI

AGENCIA EFE is part of Grupo SEPI, a corporate holding which includes a total of 16 state-owned companies in which it has direct, majority shareholding participations, with a workforce of around 73,000 professionals in 2014; the Spanish state-owned television and radio corporation, Corporación Radiotelevisión Española, which is attached to SEPI, and one public foundation. Equally, SEPI has direct minority shareholdings in a further ten companies, and indirect shareholdings in more than one hundred companies.